8th September 2015
Dear Diary,
I’m totally flashed from this day. Do you know this feeling if you want to start a day without any special expectation and than this day turns to a day full of impressions?!
I woke up and had a great breakfast with my roommates. A sunny day like the hole time since we are here.Today we went to Dover Castle. We left the accomodation at 9 o’clock and the travel didn’t took so much time. After 30 minutes we reached Dover Castle and this place is just stunning. When I saw the castle I had the feeling to be back in the past. This place has still so much presence.
When we arrived the castle there have been already a few other tourist groups which wanted to see the castle. Everytime when we went to a place there was an other german group. And the funny thing was that it was always the same german student group and I had the feeling that they are following us but what do to do.
Before we entered the castle some of the group left us to start their coastal hike. After that we went to the ticket office and it was totally chaotic. The price for the entry is acctually 18 pounds but Keith got a discount. We got the discount because of the size of our group. That was great and we saved a little bit money. The only thing which was annoying was the waiting time till we got the tickets.
Now it was time to get into the castle. The view from the castle was breathtaking. This castle is surrounded by the nature and history which you can’t discribe with words.It’s just a moment which takes you away and you will fall in love with this place. Even now I’m speechless while I’m writing my impressions down. The entry of the castle is bombastic. It has this heavy drawbridge like in the fairy stories. The only thing which was missing was the ancient flair and knights who protects the castle. I’m so jealous on the ancestors who had the pleasure to live there and spend time at this castle with this amazing view on the seaside.
We walked through the gate and there was a small hill which leads us to the middle of the castle. There was this big tower which shined out and this tower is surrounded by a wall. The inner courtyard was so beautiful with some benches for the people to take rest and also a small shop and a small cafe to buy some sandwiches and other stuff. But before taking rest we finally get into the castle.
This tower gave me so much impressions. I literally felt the atmosphere which existed in past. The building is full of life. We had to take care on the steps because some of those have been already broken or have been insecure. Some steps have been closed because it’s too dangerous so we have to avoid them.
Then we got into ground floor. This hole floor was the kitchen. Old pots in different sizes and materials and all the other kitchen stuff wich you need for cooking. Everything was in this room. But the special part was the use of sound effects. In the background we heard sounds of cooking and the yelling of the chefs when something went wrong. Also the lightening was great. The light was dimmed and we had the feeling to be a part of this hole process. Even there was fake meat and vegetables to make it real. But when I saw the sizes of the kitchenware I realized how many people had to be nurished by this crew.
So much life without any people. Amazing!!
Then we moved to the first floor where it was warm and cozy like being home. There was a big fireplace with real fire and this bed in the middle of the room. The hole room was very colourful and was decorated. This was the room of the prince I think because the bed was really small and the hole atmosphere was childish. There was another small room which was a teaching room for the prince. This room was really small but cute. Small desks for the student and a desk for the teacher. Also there was a glass cabinet with an old paper with latin words. I think it was written by the prince during his lecture. Beside the bedroom there was a big room. This room was red and in the middle of the room there was the throne. It looked amazing. There was a big one in the middle and two on both sides. Of course we did some pictures. I was a queen for few minutes. I think this room was for some meetings with the ministers and the royal family. A kind of offical room.
The second floor had also a dining room. It looked like these bg dining room from ancient movies or from fairy tales. Big desks with big flags in the background with the royal armorial. Silver dishes and glasses. It looked amazing. I wished I could enjoy one meal in this dining room and be a part of that time.
I love history and it so amazing that we have still the opportunity to visit these ancient places and to collect our own impressions. It’s sad that the old culture is not existing any more and that we take part on that cultural life.
Then we went upstairs we we could have a look on the big room from a smalll window. It looked pretty from above and it was another view. On that floor was also a small chapel. It was so pretty. And then there was a small room which was flushed with sunlight. There was a colourful shadow from the mosaic window. It was magical. Looked like a small rainbow in this small room. It’s amazing how a small room can impress you!
After looking around we went to the top of the tower. This was the final touch of the hole visit. This view from the top AMAZING. I was speechless when I saw the coast and the sea and the Port of Dover. Oh what can I do to live there?! And the weather made everything perfect. We took a little bit rest and a lot of pictures. On the one side there was also another building close to the coast. I think it was a another part of the castle looked like a mansion with lot of bedrooms and a big ball room. The sea was so smooth and everytime a new ship entered Dover. When we arrived in Dover three days ago this castle looked so unreal but now I know it’s real. It’s unbelievable how the people created so much in the past without any technology like we have today. This architecture is so rare nowadays.
After a while we decided to walk around and left the tower. Elena and I decided to explore the view from a little bit above of the main way. There was a few trees and cannons to protect the castle from enemies. Then we walked down and met the other three girls ( Sarah, Caro and Ann-Christin). We stand infront of the mansion and it looked better than from the top of the tower. But it was sad that the hole mansion was empty. We didn’t go inside because we had to pay extra fee for that mansion. This mansion with this big ball room would be perfect for some big events or a wonderful ball with a beautyful decoration filled with good-looking people. Gentlemen with their smokings and the ladies with big ball gowns and amazing music. Oh I wish I could make a party like this. The only thing I’m not rich enough but one day I will do it or maybe in my dreams I will be able to have a party like this.
From this mansion you have a perfect view on the sea. It’s indescribable. We took a deep breath and saved this wonderful view in our mind. We decided to walk back to the tower to take a little bit rest and eat something before leaving Dover castle.
There was this small shop where you can buy books and souvenirs.But the most interesting part of the shop was that they offered products like wine, beer and different spreads wich are made in Kent. Local products from different local producer and farmers. And the best part was we had the opportunity to taste the spreads. So many different tastes…yummy! And the shop workers have been really nice to us and offered us samples. We ate so much and everything was so tasty. I bought one spread a vegetable chutney. Really nice. But even these spreads and other products are made fin Kent we thought that the prices will be high but to the contrary. The prices are totally normal that students and tourists like us could buy a lot of local products with good quality.
Then we took some rest outside by the amazing weather and met other students from our group. We ate some snacks and then we had to leave to be on time at the bus. Around 2 o’clock we left the castle to get to the St.Margrets cliffs. After 30 min we arrived a perfect place at the cliffs.
If you are on the ferry from Calais to Dover you will see the white cliffs. It looks so amazing from the distance and if you are close enough you will think someone painted the walls but it’s quite the contrary. It’s nature.
We had to walk a little bit to find the perfect spot to have the best view on the cliffs. We found the place. And I was speechless. How beautiful nature can be…I realized it in that moment. We took some pictures and than I took a moment to realize that I’m in England for the first time and we don’t have rainy weather and how lucky I am to have the chance to be here.
Sarah and I sat down and took a deep breath from the clear air and got impressed from this spot.
All of us have been really fascinated and wanted to stay a little bit longer but we had to leave after 20 min because we have to meet the hiking group. It was really sad to leave. But I will come back and hope I will have such a good weather like today.
Back in the bus we get to the meeting place with the hiking group. They have been waiting for us a while because our busdriver didn’t know which way we have to take and this took a little bit time.
The hiking group were totally happy about their trip and asked us how our day was and some of them was jealous. We decided to have a break and get some food. Sarah, Elena, Ann-Christin, Caro and I walked in direction to the city and walked around to find a good seafood restaurant but we couldn’t find anything. So we walked back and there was a fastfood restaurant where we decided to buy some fries and salad. The funny thing was also that almost everybody of our group went to the restaurant. Some of them ate at the restaurant but we took the food away and find a perfect place at the coast side.
I was happy to get some food because I was really hungry but I had a problem during the meal. The bloody gulls just flew above us because they saw that we have some food. I was scared that they could attack me but Sarah laughed and said they just want some food. Blabla. I hate these birds.
After a while we get back to bus. We drove back to the accomodation and really after this day full of impressions I’m totally tired. Around 8 o’clock we arrived the accomodation and we had some dinner and now I’m in my bed to take rest to be fit for the next day.
Dear Diary I’m really impressed from this day and I hope I will have many of these kind of days in this week. Now I will go to bed and will sleep. A new day is waiting for me.
Byebye and good night!
Love,
Jenany
10th September 2015
Dear Diary,
A day for I waited for so long. I’m going to visit LONDON. The place I just saw in the TV and in our old english books during the secondary school. OOOHHH I’m so excited.
It’s also really special because Sarah and I are going together for the first time.
After we had a delicious breakfast together at our apartment, we went to the coach and I was so excited during the ride.Like a children is waiting for the chocolate. Unfortunately it took a long time to go to London as traffic was really busy. I hate traffic and I was also irritated that we left the accomodation later as we planed because of that we lost to much time to get into London city.
After a while we arrived a small busstop behind the St. Paul’s Cathedral. From that spot we seperated us from the others to go our own way to discover London.
We went to the tube station where we bought a day ticket for all tube lines but there was big waiting line because only one machine was able to give exchange. After a few minutes we got our tickets and looked for the tube direction to Covent Garden. A few days agao Elena told us that she found a free guided tour and we joined this tour which started from the Covent Garden.
Before we joined this tour we had a little bit time and we walked around and saw a guy how did a street show. It was really funny and he was so enthusiastic. We wanted that everybody should take part on his show so he asked all the viewer to come infront and to stand on his imaginary line. Ja it was funny.
Few minutes later we left to go to the meeting point for the guided tour.
Sandemans is a company which is famous for its free walking tours in different big cities around Europe. At the end of each tour you just have to pay what you think the tour was worth it. So if you didn’t like it, you don’t have to pay anything. It’s amazing and really worth it.
Our tour guide came from Perth, Australia. She was really good in her job even she just lives in London 2 years now. She knows everything about this city. It’s astonishing.
The hole tour was by foot and should take 3 hours. We didn’t know that before so we decided to leave the tour after a while. But before leaving we started the tour. She gave us some general information during the walk and our first stop was ‘St.Martin-in-the-Fields’. Afterwards we walked the street down to the Buckingham Palace and made some stop infront of the house of Prince Charles and Camilia. Unfortunately the weren’t at home. Also we stopped at the statues of Queen Elizabeth the mother of the current queen and her father King Henry IV. Than our tour guide told us a small story about Queen Mum.
She told us her secret about longevity. After the breakfast she took one gin tonic and every hour she took one drink by one. So she was actually was drunk the hole day. Everybody laughed in our group and our guide gave us the tip if we want to live 100 years just take a drink.
After this story we moved on the first palace which was build as the residence for the king or queen.
But the queen never stayed in this house because it was so ugly that she made the Buckingham Palace to the main residence. Only some offical acts are held up in that palace.
This palace was built up by Henry VIII and then our guide told us the story about the six wives of him. It was amazing how she told us this story. It was a small perfomance where she took six persons from our group and every one them has to play one wife. Sarah was also one of the lucky ones.
We learned how King Henry chose his wives and how he killed them or get divorced as the first king. And that was the reason how the anglican church was built.
During this perfomance we learned a rhyme.
‘King Henry VIII to six wives he was wedded. One died, one survived, two divorced, two beheaded.”
AMAZING!! A live in a rhyme.
Now we went to the Buckingham Palace. Ohhh a place I ever want to be. But I was not that happy at the end because we just stand too far away and I could’t take any pictures close enough. But I will come back.
The next funny story we got to hear in front of the Buckingham palace: Once a drunken and homeless person decided that he was allowed to have a little sleep inside Buckingham palace, so he just got in through a window, which he broke. After a little nap, he took a bottle of alcohol and walked through the corridors until he went into another room. But this wasn’t any room, it was the room where the Queen was sleeping at that night. As the security system was renewed a few days before, no one knew how to use it. So the Queen started talking to the man and invited him to have a drink with her. After a little time she called the butler to bring her a cigarette. The butler was confused as the Queen never smoked before and the Queen said: ‘Yes, but the man at the end of my bad does.’ So the butler called the security and the man was removed of the Queens room.
The best thing of the story is, that the Buckingham palace used to be free property, so the homeless man had just to pay for the broken window and stolen bottle of alcohol as there was no law that he was not allowed to go inside the Queens home. After this story, they changed the law.
After that we went to the St. Jame’s Park to take a little break and this was the time to leave the group because Sarah and I wanted to take a ride on the London Eye and the other girls wanted to do some shopping. So we said goodbye and gave the guide some money.
Sarah and I walked to the London Eye and on that way I saw him. Big Ben. The bell which followed me during every english lesson in my secondary school. It was amazing and I thought it is a dream to stand infront of him and look above to this giant building. Also the parliament..I’m just speechless to see these building in live. But we didn’t have so much time so just took some pictures and moved on to the London Eye. We arrived and SHOCK. There was such a crowd and the line for the enterance was so long. I was really disappointed that we didn’t come earlier. It would take 2 hours to get in so we decided not to go on the London Eye. I was frustrated. I was expecting so much from London at that day but nothing worked out. It’s impossible to see everything fom ondon just in 6 hours. It’s impossible. So I have to come back for sure. I will come back.
So now we thought to take some rest and just to enjoy the view at the Themse. At the one side the London Eye and at the other side the Big Ben. We got some food from McDonalds and took rest on a bench. The only thing what made me happy today was the weather and the fact that I saw some of
the places in London.
After the break we decided to go back to Regent street and do some shopping. A medicine for both of us today.
We got some souvenirs and some expensive things but it’s okay. We just live once. Than the time came fast and we went back to the meeting point of the bus. And there we met the other three girls and get into the bus. The sad part was also that I saw the Tower Bridge from the bus and not even close. I told myself I will come back and will explore London again and I will take my time.
This day should be exciting but the disappointment overbids the fact that I was in London.
At 10 pm we arrived the accomodation and we were so tired that we are now in our beds.
I will sleep now and will process all the happenings what happend today.
Goodnight!
Love,
Jenany